The Yard Cafe in Greenwood: It’s not The Dray, and it opens next week!

I was surprised on tonight’s big Greenwood-Phinney Art Walk to see that you could wander into The Yard Cafe, not-yet-open at 8313 Greenwood Ave North. The owners, who also own The Dray in lower Phinney, were on hand to excitedly tell visitors what was to come – and it’s not what you’d expect.

The Yard Cafe will celebrate their Grand Opening on May 29th, the final day of Seattle Beer Week. However, they’ll likely be open much sooner – and are shooting for Thursday May 19th for their first dinner service.

Expecting a bar just like The Dray? Well, you’ll be surprised – hopefully pleasantly – to discover that this is not The Dray. You won’t find American style sandwiches here – instead, The Yard has a Mexican theme. I got a sneak peek of their menu tonight, which isn’t final yet, and it includes main courses like Steak Mexicana, Grilled Fish Veracruz, Sweet Potato Enchilada Stack, and Arroz Con Pollo. You’ll also find a complete taco menu, as well as tortas and traditional appetizers like quesadillas and an orange chipotle salad.

The interior was similar to The Dray but still took my breath away a little – made almost entirely of carved wood, it’s impressive to say the least.

There seems to be just as big of an outside area as there is inside, and the bar has a roll-up window to allow the sunshine in, if we can continue to get a little. There are some smaller tables, and then one large one that’s great for private parties:

And then, there’s a beautiful row of lockers – these are for the “founders” that have donated $250 to the start of the restaurant. Of the 100 lockers in the hall, approximately 30 are left. Contact The Yard to claim your spot!

For the Seattle Beer Week opening, the owners tell me that they’re hoping to have the tap handles full of “odd” beers that you wouldn’t expect – definitely reason enough for me to come back in.